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TML Staff Roundtable: 2020 Orlando City Postseason Thoughts

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The 2020 season is all but over, with only MLS Cup to come. Orlando City got a lot closer to this weekend’s game than anyone expected at the start of the year, but came up a bit short.

With the season now in the rearview mirror, I reached out to the full staff of The Mane Land to find out what we’re all thinking ahead of the Lions’ sixth season in MLS. Not everyone responded but those who did are represented below in full. Since I usually cherry pick the best answers, this will be longer than the usual roundtable piece.


At the beginning of the season our staff was split between those who thought Orlando City would barely make the playoffs and those who thought the team would finish just below the playoff places. How surprised were you at how quickly Oscar Pareja was able to get complete buy-in from a team that brought a lot of pieces back?

David Rohe:  As one of those who thought the Lions would just make it in over the playoff line, I was definitely surprised how far above the line the club was. I don’t believe anyone thought Pareja would be able to turn things around as quickly as he did, for exactly the reasons posed in the question. To bring as many players back and to then have such a night and day difference in not only results, but also in the positive attitude that this club has was nothing short of astonishing. To then deal with COVID-19, the loss of Dom Dwyer to injury, numerous other injuries, and PRO referees, is a testament to the job that Pareja did this season. 

Sean Rollins: I was very surprised at the team’s improvement, though they had help. The fact that the MLS is Back Tournament was near home was helpful and they got to play home games in front of fans. Next year will be the true test to see if the team is in the right path.

Christopher Adams: Last season was rough, but I had a feeling that this team was better than its record indicated. Several players looked good, including Robin Jansson, Ruan, and Nani, and there were moments that led me to believe this team could be much better in 2020. So I’m not surprised that this team was a playoff contender, I am a little surprised just how much things changed with Pareja. There’s a whole different culture, a different feel to Orlando than ever before, and on the field they played their best soccer ever at points. When they were healthy and in a rhythm, especially during the MLS Is Back Tournament, this team wasn’t just successful but they looked every part an elite, championship-caliber team. I knew this team could compete, but I didn’t know they could compete at this level. 

Ben Miller: I wasn’t necessarily surprised with the speed with which Pareja got everyone to buy in, but I definitely was surprised at just how good the team was once everyone was bought in and the team was playing at full strength. I credit a lot of that to Pareja’s system and the players’ belief in it. I thought the team would be improved but not to the extent that it was, and that’s what surprised me the most.

Daniel Finton: It was incredible to see just how quickly Pareja was able to transform the side, I was extremely surprised. After the first two matches resulted in a 0-0 stalemate to Real Salt Lake at home and a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids away, it seemed like more of the same hardships were set to persist. However, the Lions have obviously been galvanized by his appointment and Pareja looks an absolute coup. 

Guilherme Torres: Pareja did a great job this year. His contribution to the success of the team was arguably greater than any player on the roster. The most important thing the coach did was establishing a clear way for the team to play, which was always there regardless of the lineup. He also succeeded in getting more from players who had underperformed the years before. Hats off too to Orlando City’s front office and scouting department, which were extremely precise in identifying and bringing in the right players in 2020.

Joshua Taylor: I was very surprised how Oscar Pareja was able to get his team to buy in to believing that they can win no matter what. Despite their playoff run coming to an end, Pareja still accomplished a lot in his first year with the Lions. Changing the mentality of this team to play better, no matter the obstacle, was impressive to me. This team came close to winning the MLS is Back Tournament, had a shot at the Supporters’ Shield, and nearly finished with the most points in club history. I thought before the season the team would barely make the playoffs but this team clearly redefined expectations after its run in the MLS is Back Tournament. In what was a historic season for the Lions, you’d have to say Pareja got the best out of his team this year after making its first playoff appearance and now the Lions have hope and a bright future ahead of the 2021 season. 

Marcus Mitchell: The time off between the team’s first two matches of the season and the MLS is Back Tournament definitely helped Pareja instill the kind of mentality he wanted the players to have, as well as get the players up to the fitness level needed to run his style of play. Still, the Lions became a cohesive unit much more quickly than I expected and Pareja deserves plenty of praise for managing that in the midst of a pandemic. There weren’t too many new Lions on the roster, yet they looked like a new and exciting team under Pareja.

My Take: The staff covered this pretty well. Papi not only got the team to buy in to what he wanted them to do, but he did it more quickly than I thought possible. This team had a bond you don’t often see. They genuinely loved and supported one another like brothers and they held themselves as accountable as their teammates, so even if fans were freaking out if a starter wasn’t available, the players simply expected the same level of quality — and usually got it. Great job by Pareja.


Who was the team’s most valuable player in 2020 and why?

Dave: As much as I want to give this accolade to Mauricio Pereyra, I have to give the nod to Nani. I know that there are those still upset with his PK misses, and how he sometimes seems to ask for calls that just aren’t coming, but he was without a doubt the leader of this club. To a man, the rest of the players point to him as the example, and the inspiration for a lot of what happened this year. Despite his age and faults (we all deal with those), he often stepped up in the important moments and delivered. He also did a lot of instruction during matches, helping the players develop over the course of the season. It may well be I’ll have a different answer next season, but the captain wins it this year.  

Sean: Despite being sent off against New England, my MVP was Pereyra. He came in midsession last year but showed his quality this season and how he can affect the team. He draws attention in the final third and sets up opportunities for Mueller and Daryl Dike.

Topher: It’s easy to say Nani given how talented he is and how important he is from a leadership perspective, but I’m actually going with Pereyra. My biggest gripe with this team for years has been the inability to connect the defense to the offense. But with Pereyra, this team flows so much better. He’s had a Nico Lodeiro-esque influence on this team, picking up the ball deep and spurring counter-attacks while also being a calming presence in the final third. His vision is impeccable and his class with the ball is elite. Not since Kaká has this team had a legitimate number 10 and it has completely changed this team.

Ben: Pereyra. He brings so much creativity to the table on the offensive side of the ball, and Orlando is a completely different team when he isn’t on the field. It wasn’t a coincidence that the Lions struggled to score in the stretch of games that he was unavailable, and he was perhaps the worst person who could have been sent off in the Eastern Conference semifinals as it totally blunted the team’s attack (in addition to obviously going down a man). My second choice here would be Pedro Gallese, but Pereyra makes such a difference in the attack that I have to go with him. His ability to pick a pass like his game-winning assist to Dike against Montreal is something that no other player on the team is capable of doing, and that’s hugely important.

Daniel: I would have to say Nani. The captain led from the front and helped bring the side to new heights. Additionally, he instilled an air of confidence with his presence into the side — one that I’ve not yet seen in the team before. 

Guilherme: It has to be Mueller. Nani and Pereyra had great seasons too, but Cash had fantastic production with 10 goals and seven assists and his energy level helped him fulfill defensive duties the veterans weren’t required to. 

Joshua: Mueller really improved this season in his third year with the club. After fluctuating between starter and super sub the first two seasons, he earned Pareja’s trust and finished the year leading the team with 10 goals. He only had eight goals in his first two seasons, so having a breakout year in 2020 and getting a call-up to the U.S. Men’s National Team is worthy of being the team MVP this season. 

Marcus Mitchell: It’s weird not having a clear and obvious choice for this like past seasons. The team was well rounded from top to bottom and plenty of players stepped up when others were injured or playing internationally. That being said, I have to go with Nani. As proven in the MLS is Back Tournament, he has the ability to completely change the course of a game and make magic happen. Chris Mueller has made great strides, I’m just not sure if the team relies on him as much as it does on Nani.

My Take: I don’t think one needs to look any further than Orlando City’s record when Pereyra started to see who the team’s MVP was. The Uruguayan is vital to possession and turning nothing into a suddenly dangerous opportunity. Games without him were much more of a slog offensively.


Who was the team’s newcomer of the year?

Dave: This has to be Daryl Dike. He was utterly robbed of the now defunct Rookie of the Year award when MLS changed it to Young Player of the Year to make sure Dike didn’t win it (he still came in Top 3). The goals, the hold-up play, the improvement he showed from start to finish, and the excellent celebrations made this one surprisingly easy for me in a year with a lot of great performances.

Sean: I would have to have two players share Newcomer of the Year. Gallese was fantastic in goal this season. They wouldn’t have been the four seed in the East or advanced past New York City FC without him. Antonio Carlos is my other Newcomer of the Year. Orlando City has had trouble finding the right center back pairing but Carlos was fantastic alongside Jansson. Together, they turned a weakness into a strength.

Topher: Credit to Dike, who deserves a shout for this, but it has to be Carlos. The big Brazilian has improved this defense and has been a stable presence in the back. When Orlando gets expansive and pushes the fullbacks high and gets bodies forward, Carlos has been instrumental in stopping opposition counter attacks. In settled situations, his size and strength have been helpful in defending aerial balls into the box. Perhaps equally valuable is his ability on the ball. His passing and deceptive skill played an important role in Orlando being able to play out from the back and holding onto possession. He’s been one of the best center backs in all of MLS and I’m so excited to see him grow with this core in the foreseeable future.

Ben: There are several good choices here, and while I’m tempted to say Junior Urso or Gallese, I’m going to go with Dike. While he was the fifth overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft, I don’t think anyone expected him to have the kind of year he did. After Dwyer was lost for the season due to surgery it was anyone’s guess as to where goals and consistent striker play would come from, but Dike answered that question emphatically. With Gallese being Peru’s starting keeper I sort of expected him to have a great year, but Dike’s performance caught me off guard which is why I have to go with him. 

Daniel: It has to be Dike. The big man has been tremendous since abruptly bursting onto the scene. 

Guilherme: Gallese. Orlando City got it right with a lot of the signings the team made this year, but nothing beats the Peruvian. Gallese is a starter for the Peruvian national team and brought a great amount of international experience to the team, besides solving what seemed to be a never-ending problem for the Lions between the sticks.

Joshua: Urso made a big improvement to the midfield since he transferred from Corinthians back in January. He was able to bring leadership to a young squad, solidifying the midfield with Pereyra, and bringing that energy and passion on the field. Urso scored a few clutch goals for the Lions this year and helping the team beat rival Atlanta United has to make this season feel much better.  

Marcus: While Gallese was impressive, I’m going with Carlos. He started 18 games in the regular season and formed a strong bond with Jansson to anchor the defense. Carlos was a force in the air and displayed skill when it came to timing tackles in dangerous areas. He had a goal and an assist as well and gave a glimpse of what’s to come in the future.

My Take: There were lots of good choices here. I thought about this for a while and what it came down to for me was this: which of the new players’ absences scared me the most? It was Gallese. It felt less risky when El Pulpo was between the sticks than when any of the other new players were missing. Dike was a close second, followed by Carlos. I thought Schlegel was a great fill-in for either center back, so Carlos being out didn’t scare me as much.


Which player surprised you the most in 2020?

Dave: Kyle Smith does not get enough credit in my opinion. He was Pareja’s Swiss Army tool. Left back, right back, or midfield, it didn’t matter. Sometimes it was more than one position within a match! He gave as much effort as anyone on the pitch, and at times he had to replace either Ruan or Joao Moutinho. That is not an easy thing to do since he’s not as fast as either of them, and yet there wasn’t a giant drop-off with him there. He had several key defensive plays through the year and even got Man of the Match honors in Orlando City’s 3-1 win over the New York Red Bulls from The Mane Land, and both Michael and I on The Mane Land PawedCast

Sean: I was most surprised this season by Dike. He was very good at Virginia but I didn’t think he’d be this good this early in his career. He knows how to use his big frame and does so very well. It usually takes time for players to learn that skill but he picked it up right away.

Topher: Smith has blown me away this season. He wasn’t an elite player by any stretch of the imagination, but he was way better than I ever expected. Last season, Smith was one of my least favorite players on the entire team. Everything about him screamed minor leaguer and I didn’t think he should’ve been playing at this level. However, he has completely changed my mind. This guy was an absolute team player, doing anything and everything asked of him, playing on both flanks, playing heavy minutes when Moutinho got injured, and he was a vital piece down the stretch. He’s still not a great MLS player, but he has 100% deserved a spot in this team. He’s more of a defensive option than Moutinho or Ruan, but his offensive ability has improved even if it’s still not that great. Every team in MLS needs a few players who are tough and versatile, and Smith is that guy for Orlando.

Ben: Andres Perea surprised me the most. Sure he had logged 14 appearances with Atletico Nacional before joining the Lions, but with Pereyra, Uri Rosell, Sebas Mendez, and Urso all ahead of him in midfield I didn’t see how he fit into the picture. Well, he logged 1,190 minutes across 23 regular season games, notched two assists, and played in both playoff games so he fit in pretty damn nicely. He usually displayed a large amount of poise on the ball and more often than not was a calming presence in the midfield. I didn’t see this coming at all, and I’m glad that he was brought in on a permanent basis.

Daniel: Definitely Pereyra. The way the Uruguayan established himself as a potent creative threat so quickly was incredible and surprised me greatly. It’s good news that the club signed the DP to a contract extension. Let’s hope he can continue this seasons success next time around. 

Guilherme: Dike. Anyone saying they expected the rookie striker to bag eight goals in his first professional season and make Dwyer completely expendable would be lying. Dike’s physical and technical tools were there for anyone to see, but between having the tools and using them properly in a rookie season there’s a considerable difference. Perea was a close second. I didn’t expect to see him having such a prominent role with the team this season.

Joshua: Dike really surprised me this season. Even though we only saw him in limited action in the MLS is Back Tournament during the round of 16 match against the Montreal Impact in July, a month later he made two goal contributions for the Lions against Inter Miami CF, and days later against Nashville SC, he scored his first brace for the team. Dike became the first Orlando City rookie to score in each of his first two professional starts. I figured being his first year in the league it would take him time to develop but to end the year with eight goals, be a finalist for the MLS Young Player of the Year Award, and getting a call-up to the USMNT definitely shows how quickly Dike has developed in his first year with the Lions. 

Marcus: It has to be Mueller, who broke through what I thought was his ceiling and kept going. He obviously benefits from great attacking players around him, but the team wasn’t too different from last season and he managed career highs in goals and assists during a shortened season. Center back Rodrigo Schlegel also deserves some recognition here, and not just for those heroics in goal. Schlegel did well in 10 regular season appearances and gave the Lions needed depth on defense when required. 

My Take: I have to agree with Marcus about Mueller. I thought Cash was fairly close to his ceiling but he found a new gear in 2020. However, for me, an even bigger surprise was Perea. That felt like a depth signing to me and yet he played in every regular season and playoff game for Orlando City this season. Part of that was due to other players’ absences, but it was mainly due to his versatility. He played the 6, the 8, and even some attacking midfield. Now, if he can just figure out where the net is…


What is the position group that needs the most improvement heading into 2021?

Dave: The forwards are the position of need. Daryl Dike came on strong and I anticipate he will continue to grow — skill-wise, obviously, because if he gets any bigger physically, MLS defenders will be in a lot of trouble. I look for the front office to bring in a more veteran striker to replace Dwyer, in addition to integrating Matheus Aias and Alexader Alvarado. With Nani, Pereyra, Mueller, Ruan, and Moutinho all able to deliver balls into the box, the Lions need some strikers to put the ball into the net. 

Sean: The position group needing the most work is up top. Most of Orlando City’s attack comes from the midfield. It was a tough year for Tesho Akindele and Dom Dwyer (due to injury), putting most of the responsibility on a rookie. The team needs better production up there so that Mueller and Nani can create out of the midfield.

Topher: I’ve written about how good this midfield is, but after the last few games of the season, I think they need a little more. Pereyra has been great when healthy and Urso is an excellent player, but outside of that I’m not completely convinced. Rosell had great moments when he was healthy, but after coming back he was no longer that guy. If this team is to have sustained success, they need that third midfield option to be consistently good. A lot of that could be solved if Perea and Mendez continue to develop into the stars they’re capable of becoming. Joey DeZart could be an option there, and it’s possible that Rosell gets back to his MLS is Back form. It’s also important to note that both Perea and Mendez could miss significant time next season due to international duty, with Olympic qualifying potentially affecting Perea, either for Colombia or the U.S., while Mendez will likely miss time for the Copa America. It’ll be important for the Lions to sure up their depth, either from within or in the transfer market, to make sure their trio is able to control the game all season.

Ben: Striker. Dike’s emergence was welcome, but there doesn’t seem to be a reliable goal-scoring threat at that position aside from him. Maybe Mueller has another 10-goal year and helps lighten the load, but that isn’t necessarily a guarantee. Benji Michel usually seems to have a goal in him, but like Mueller and Nani he seems to do a lot of his best work when deployed in wide areas. I like Akindele but his 10-goal season last year looks to have been the exception rather than the rule. The Lions probably need to bring in a striker who’s capable of getting seven to eight goals if they want to improve on this season.

Daniel: I would probably say up front. I personally believe the side could use a new striker, especially with Dwyer entering free agency. The midfield and defense are solid enough as of now, so I’d say the forward area could use some beefing up and improvement. It’s not fair to rely on such a young player like Dike week in and out and could actually negatively impact him in the long run. 

Guilherme: I think Orlando enters this off-season in a good position — at least much better than the years before. The Lions don’t have a clear and obvious need, but could certainly use some depth in certain areas of the field. Bringing in a veteran, established striker to compete with Dike up top is a no-brainer, but outside of that, I’d say another winger and a defender, who could be either a center back or a left back due to Kamal Miller’s versatility.

Joshua: The forward position. One area of concern for the Lions this past season was shots on target where the team had 118 total shots on target for the season and averaged 4.1 per game which ranked 18th in MLS. There were times where Orlando dominated possession but was not able to apply the finishing blow in crucial matches. Nani, Mueller, and Dike carried the bulk of goals this year but the team may be one more striker away to put it over the top and bring the MLS Cup to Orlando. 

Marcus: I’m not worried about the attack, especially once Matheus Aias fits in. The fullbacks have me a little concerned, but that hinges more on Moutinho’s health more than anything and Smith really proved his worth this year. If I had to pick a group, it would be the defensive midfielders. Urso had the second most minutes on the team and was great in his first year in Orlando, but the team looked understandably weaker when Mendez was in Ecuador and Rosell was nursing an injury. Rookie DeZart did well but some added depth or consistency on that part of the roster would be nice.

My Take: Surprisingly, I’m not going to say forward. I do think it would be a good idea to add either a veteran willing to take a reduced bench/spot start role or a DP type a la Carlos Vela, Diego Valeri, Josef Martinez, etc. I don’t agree with Marcus about the defensive midfield. I think the team is set in that area but it would be helpful if the pieces all stay healthy. That area was hit hard at times in 2020. I’m going with attacking midfield/wing. The Lions played guys like Robinho and Perea in those roles this year when having to rotate the squad and the drop in attacking quality was noticeable. A serviceable backup for Pereyra is especially important because he’s not getting any younger and he’s already dealt with some injury issues in his season and a half in Orlando.


Which players do you expect to see the most improvement from in 2021?

Dave: Aias and Alexander Alvarado are the easy choices, as they haven’t really had enough time to integrate into the club. I think we will continue to see improvement from Perea and Kamal Miller as well. Honestly, I think we’ll see improvement from nearly all the players in that the cohesion we saw this year will be even better in 2021. 

Sean: The most improvement in 2021 will hopefully come from Dike. Dwyer is gone and Akindele doesn’t seem to be the answer. Dike is young and has the ability to improve. If his finishing is better next year, he could become an unstoppable force in the league.

Topher: I expect to see several young players to make big strides in 2021. Pareja has a track record from Dallas and even Colorado developing young talent, and I expect that to continue taking shape over the course of next season. Dike had a strong start to his career, but with another offseason and more experience, he’s going to get even better. Michel is another player who grew a lot in 2020, but he might take another big step forward. Who I’m really excited to see and think will make serious strides are the academy players. Jordan Bender, David Loera, and Michael Halliday are all relatively unknown commodities, but with an off-season spent training in the first team, and more experience as professionals, they could start to really break into the team and make serious contributions. Of that three, I’d expect Bender to really make some noise. He started against Nashville in the final game of the regular season, and showed promise. The odds of him starting regularly over Nani or Mueller are unlikely, but he’s got a real shot to become a valuable bench option who can give needed rest to an aging Nani or for Mueller if he’s on international duty.

Ben: I fully expect Dike to improve quite a lot on what we saw this year. He seemed to wear down a bit after earning the right to start consistently, and that’s understandable in his first year as a professional. He now has a better idea of what it takes to consistently succeed in MLS from a physical standpoint, and he’ll have a whole off-season to work on developing both his body and his skills. If he’s able to continue to improve in terms of his first touch, decision-making, and finishing ability, then I think he’ll have a great year in 2021 and I fully expect those things to happen. I also think Perea will be better and play a bigger part next year after having time to put some muscle on a frame that leans toward being a little slight. Both he and Dike are so young that I think they have a lot of room to grow, and I think they’ll do just that. 

Daniel: Mueller. He just seems to get better and better every season. The 24-year-old deserved the national team call-up he received and it seems like the sky is the limit for him. Mueller has all of the physical attributes to be a top-class player in the future. He just has to work on his decision-making and end product, which may come with age.

Guilherme: I hope we some improvement from Dike. Orlando could certainly benefit from that. He can do a lot better from a technical standpoint and if he can add that to his athleticism, it would be huge. I believe Alvarado is a good bet too. He played in only 50 minutes this season and with a preseason under his belt, he should be in position to live up to the expectations the club has for him.

Joshua: Michel is a player I could see improving for next season. Like Mueller in his third season this year, I can see Michel having a breakout year next season and he could get double digit goals. Michel scored his penalty kick in round one in the 2020 MLS Cup playoffs, scored a game-winning goal against the Columbus Crew to clinch a home playoff game, and has already scored 12 goals in all competitions since joining the club in 2019. 

Marcus: It’s a toss up between Akindele and Michel for me. Both seem to fit in well with how Pareja wants the team to play. More teams will have their eyes on Mueller and Dike next season, which may open the door for Akindele and Michel to find some openings. Although they are in different stages of their careers, both are fighting for minutes as forwards in a lucrative Orlando offense. 

My Take: Perea is a guy I’d most expect to see get even better in 2021. At just 20 years old, I think he’s still got a ton of upside. Alvarado is a guy I find intriguing and his brief appearances at the end of the season left me wanting to see more. As for Dike, I am always cognizant of the sophomore slump and teams getting a better handle on how to defend him. If the big fella can avoid that and improve on his game, it will be huge for Orlando next season.


And there you have it. Our staff — most of it, anyway — sums up the 2020 season that was. It was a better one than we expected and yet it still somehow left us wanting more. As I always say, only one team’s fans get to be happy at the end of the year. And now there is at least some hope that Orlando’s fans could be those lucky ones in the near future.

Feel free to weigh in on these questions below in the comments section.

Opinion

Pedro Gallese’s Recent Form No Surprise

Pedro Gallese’s recent solid form isn’t anything new, you just need to know where to look.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

One of the more frustrating narratives surrounding Orlando City at the beginning of the season was the assertion that goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was playing poorly and was costing the Lions points. The main point of emphasis from the detractors was the Lions’ 4-2 opening day loss to the Philadelphia Union, although he also got a lot of flak for his performances against Toronto FC, and during the 2-1 loss to New York City FC. That criticism has started to get quieter in recent weeks, particularly after he made the bench of the most recent MLS Team of the Matchday, but I don’t think he was playing nearly as poorly as some people made him out to be at the start of the season, and his recent performances haven’t come out of nowhere.

So let’s talk about those two big supposed “black marks” on his 2025 resume. Most of the chatter came from the opening game against the Union, with him coming in for criticism in two instances here, and here. I want to specifically address the mention of Gallese allowing six goals on 2.9 post-shot expected goals. Listen, I don’t actually have a problem with the xG stat the way some people do, and I truly think it can be incredibly useful when used properly in certain contexts. I just don’t think the numbers tell the full story here.

Against the Union, three goals came from inside or on the edge of the six-yard box, and were one-touch finishes. Gallese realistically had no chance on two of them (the first and fourth goals), and while the other one came from an acute angle and was mostly right at him, the ball is still coming so fast and from such a short distance that it still feels a bit nitpicky to place the blame entirely on him. Yes, he arguably could have done better, but there are plenty of goalkeepers in this league that aren’t saving that.

The other goal of the night came from a Rodrigo Schlegel error and a first touch shot from the edge of the box that came as El Pulpo was already moving laterally across his goal to shift with the rest of his defense, only for the shot to be heading for the opposite side of the net. Despite the distance the shot is coming from, that one also feels harsh to blame him for in my book. Again, I love xG when it’s used properly, but I just don’t think this is a fair application, as it doesn’t take into account where Gallese is at the time of the turnover-produced shot — only the shooter’s location. I find it pretty hard to look at each one of those goals and honestly say that he should save them. To me, there’s a big difference between something a goalkeeper could do more to save and something they should do more to save.

The other two goals out of the aforementioned six came against Toronto FC, and honestly it’s hard for me to put a ton of blame on him for either of them. The first came off a corner and was a header from inside the six-yard box, and although he should maybe do better considering the angle of the shot and his placement in the goal, the final shot comes from about three yards away. I’m sorry, but that just requires excellent reaction time, and while it’s the sort of shot that we do see saved in MLS sometimes, I’m not sure it’s one that we should expect to see saved. TFC’s final goal of the night was a great strike from distance in the bottom corner that also came through a few bodies, which meant Gallese didn’t see it until fairly late on. Again, to me this is a shot that he could do more to save, but not one that he should do more to save, and that’s an important distinction.

Honestly, the most justified criticism I’ve seen probably comes from here, when speaking about the 2-1 loss to NYCFC. Gallese gave up a huge rebound for the hosts’ second and eventual game-winning goal. Frankly, it wasn’t great at all and it ended up costing Orlando City a point. That being said, he did still make seven saves in that game and kept the Lions in it with a chance to salvage a late point.

Aside from the error against NYCFC though, El Pulpo has largely been mistake free and pretty blameless for the three goals he’s conceded. One was a penalty kick against the New York Red Bulls, and the second was a one-touch finish from about three yards away which also came against the Red Bulls. Go back and watch the film, and you won’t be shocked to hear that I hold him blameless for both. The goal he surrendered against the LA Galaxy wasn’t great, as Christian Ramirez’s flick isn’t exactly traveling at light speed. But, the shot also goes the opposite way of which Gallese’s momentum is already carrying him, so that’s something to consider. Aside from the rebound against NYCFC, this is the one goal he’s given up in 2025 that I really think he should have done better with.

The Peruvian has gotten a lot of praise (and rightly so) for the three straight clean sheets he’s kept in Orlando’s last three games. He’s made 11 saves during that time and got absolutely peppered late against Montreal, when Orlando went down to 10 men (again!). But he’s been making saves all year long, and the one game he didn’t register any (the season opener), was also a game where you can make a real argument that he couldn’t have done a better job of attempting to stop the ball going in than he already did. His save percentage of 73% is 19th out of 33, which is close to bang average; and his clean sheet percentage of 37.5% is tied for ninth.

Oh, and if we want to bring post-shot expected goals back into this, then let’s look at his post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed (PSxG-GA). PSxG-GA uses expected goals to provide a stat that is based on how likely a goalkeeper is to save a shot. The number can be either positive or negative, with a positive number suggesting either a better-than-average shot-stopping ability, or a goalkeeper that’s been luckier than most. Gallese’s PSxG-GA of 1.7 is tied for 13th out of 49 goalkeepers, which ain’t half bad, is it? It’s worth mentioning that some of the rankings are skewed by keepers who only spent a small amount of time on the field and either let in a ton of goals or very few, but that’s the funny thing about raw stats — they need context.


At the end of the day, I’m not trying to sit here and say that Gallese has been flawless this season, is completely blameless for each and every one of the goals he’s conceded, and that every ounce of criticism that’s come his way has been unfair. There are absolutely goals that he should have done a better job on, but even at the time they were written, I think some of the assertions that he was a massive weak point for the Lions were overblown and not properly justified. He’s had a few shaky moments, like any keeper, but the defense in front of him wasn’t doing him any favors at times, and he was still regularly making saves to keep Orlando City in games. While it’s nice that he’s finally getting some plaudits, he’s had himself a perfectly fine 2025 season for the most part. You just have to take the time to look.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/25/25

Orlando City gets ready for Atlanta United, Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira promoted, NWSL MVP candidates, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! Today starts three straight days of Orlando soccer to enjoy, so make sure to plan your weekend accordingly. It was a fairly fast week for me, and I was able to read three books somehow. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a very happy 21st birthday to Orlando City winger Nicolas Rodriguez!

Orlando City Gets Ready for Rivalry Match

The Lions are back in action Saturday night against rival Atlanta United in what should be one of the more interesting matchups of the weekend. Both teams are looking for answers on offense heading into this match, as Orlando is coming off of three straight scoreless draws and Atlanta hasn’t won since March. Taking on a rival at home could be just what’s needed for the Lions to jumpstart their attack and return to the form they had earlier this season. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke on how it’s an important game to win for Orlando, as well as how the offense needs to exercise some calmness to finish its chances.

Orlando City Promotes Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira

Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira were both promoted by Orlando City, with Moreira taking over as the club’s general manager and sporting director and Muzzi becoming senior advisor to ownership, global soccer ventures. It’s a natural step up for Moreira, who joined the club in 2018 and has helped build a competitive roster that’s made the playoffs for the past five seasons. Muzzi’s new role is a bit of a mouthful, but he’ll be taking on an advisory role focused on the growth of the club while working closely with ownership.

“I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as Orlando City Soccer Club’s EVP of Soccer Operations and General Manager for seven seasons, and I am excited to continue my journey with the club in this new role,” said Luiz Muzzi. “I look forward to working alongside the Wilf family and the leadership team to help shape the future of the club and its continued success, both on and off the field, and I know Orlando City’s Soccer Operations will be in great hands under Ricardo’s leadership.”

Orlando Pride Players in the NWSL MVP Hunt

Now that we’re over a month into the NWSL season, ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf highlighted the league’s early MVP candidates, and there are a couple of familiar faces in his rankings. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda is predictably in the mix in sixth on the list, as she has three goals and an assist to her name so far. But a surprise inclusion is midfielder Haley McCutcheon, who has impressed on both sides of the ball to earn ninth place in the rankings. While I think the MVP race will ultimately be between scorers like Banda, Temwa Chawinga, Ashley Hatch, and Debinha, it’s pretty great to see McCutcheon receive deserved praise for her performance this year.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

The transfer deadline may be over for MLS clubs, but deals that crossed the finish line are still coming in. The Columbus Crew added yet another forward by sending up to $1.2 million to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for Aliyu Ibrahim. The 23-year-old will maintain his U22 Initiative Player status in Columbus and recorded 12 goals and nine assists across 90 appearances for Houston. LAFC signed 26-year-old midfielder Ryan Raposo, who spent the past five seasons with the Vancouver Whitecaps and was a free agent this year. St. Louis City also made things official with Simon Becher by making his loan move a permanent one so that he stays with the club.

Free Kicks


That’s all I have for you this time around. Mother’s Day is less than a month away, just as a warning. If the mothers in your life like romance books and you’re looking for a gift, I can’t recommend The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center enough. Have a great Friday!

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Orlando City

Orlando City Was Hot, But Now Is Not — An Explanation

A comparison of the Lions’ start to the season vs. recent form.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Years ago, back during the early days of the new millennium, one of the first websites to ever “go viral” was the matchmaking site AmIHotOrNot.com. I, of course, never visited this site, as I had access to a mirror on the wall and already knew who was the fairest of them all (not me, the mirror was pretty clear about that). But as a college student during those years, I knew of the site and how it quickly was getting millions of views per day. Today’s topic is related to hot and not, but it is the significantly more important topic of Orlando City’s performance on the field during the 2025 season.

During the first six games of the season, the Lions looked better than any previous Orlando City team in the club’s MLS era in terms of early season offensive prowess. The squad led the league in goals scored, the Designated Players were scoring or contributing to nearly every goal, and with Duncan McGuire still to return to add even more firepower, it seemed like there might be the possibility of running out of purple smoke to shoot off in front of The Wall with how many goals Orlando City was scoring.

And then, with apologies to Prince, purple flames were doused by purple rain, and we found out what it sounds like when Lions fans cry. To understand why the offense went from 2.5 goals scored per game to being shut out in three straight matches for the first time since 2018 we need to first consider whether the start to the season was an aberration itself, and had our expectations misaligned for how this team would perform for the rest of the season. Let’s take a look at how the first six games of 2025 compared with the second half of the 2024 regular season (17 games):

Metric2024 Final 172025 First 6
Goals per Game2.52.5
Shots on Target per Game5.65.5
Shots on Target %40%35%
Goal Conversions per Shot on Target44%45%
Medium + Long Passes Completed per Game215208
Medium + Long Pass Completion %81%80%
Completed Crosses + Switches per Game21.421.0
Progressive Carries + Passes per Game64.657.3
Points Earned per Game2.061.67

For the most part it looks like the beginning of the 2025 season picked right up where the 2024 regular season ended (I intentionally excluded the 2024 playoffs from the data because playoff games tend to be played differently than regular-season games). There were some major changes in personnel from 2024 to 2025, but even with the changes in players, the style of play and the formation used by Orlando City remained the same, and most of the offensive stats are nearly exactly the same. Six games is a decent enough sample size to say that those stats from 2025 were not a fluke, and the offensive output that we saw in the second half of the 2024 season could be reasonably expected to continue at a similar pace.

But then it did not. Oh boy has it not. Looking at the same chart, but comparing the 2025 first six games to the 2025 most recent three matches gets an immediate “not hot” vote and is as ugly as a Bubba Sparxxx song.

Metric2025 First 62025 Last 3
Goals per Game2.50.0
Shots on Target per Game5.53.0
Shots on Target %35%31%
Goal Conversions per Shot on Target45%0%
Medium + Long Passes Completed per Game208171
Medium + Long Pass Completion %80%74%
Completed Crosses + Switches per Game21.012.6
Progressive Carries + Passes per Game57.342.0
Points Earned per Game1.671.0

The sharp-eyed observer will note that red cards are not noted anywhere above, and in those last three games Orlando City played nearly 50 minutes with only 10 players. In both of the games when a red card (the ultimate sum of two yellow cards by the same player) was given, Orlando City was ahead in expected goals at the moment the red card was issued, and while those do not count for anything officially, they indicate who was getting shots off from more dangerous locations. I thought Orlando City seemed more likely to score and take all three points in both games up until the dismissal of a player. Instead, of course, the Lions went down a player and immediately had to pivot to a more defensive posture, and with one fewer player on the field, they could not play (or at least maintain) the same style as they had been.

In addition to playing far more conservatively, in both games Orlando City substituted on a defender for a key attacking player within four minutes of the red card, removing Marco Pašalić in the game against New York and Luis Muriel in the game against Montréal. This was effectively a double negative, and not in the way that turns two negatives into a positive. It was more like f(x) = -2x, a function with a slope of -2 and…let me stop right there. It was bad, and hurt the offense to remove a key playmaker and goal scorer.

Another major issue is that the midfield engine of César Araújo and Eduard Atuesta have played a combined 11 minutes in the last three games, and all 11 of those minutes were played by Atuesta in the game against New York and after the red card. Araújo’s absence has definitely been felt, but as he is more of a deep-lying player and defensive destroyer, the team has been able to adequately replace him, but Atuesta’s offensive talents have been sorely missed. Atuesta may not have many goal contributions, but he is second on the team in shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (4.62) and first on the team in goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (1.20). That 1.20 is the highest in club history (fbref.com only has tracking back to 2018, so apologies to the legend Kaká) among players who played at least 500 minutes in a season, and it is nearly 50% higher than the player in second place in that stat, Mauricio Pereyra in 2020, when he averaged 0.82.

Might it be nice to be able to play a player who is creating a goal every 90 minutes? I think so. Joran Gerbet has played well, especially for a rookie, and specially especially (just go with it) for a rookie in the mentally and physically demanding role of a central midfielder. He has a ton of potential, but he is not yet as productive a player as Atuesta and when the Colombian playmaker returns the offense will get back a key cog that will help to create good shots, and in a game like soccer the difference between a goal and a miss is often a matter of inches, and a slightly better delivery on the pass can turn a shot into a shot on target and a shot on target into a goal.

Is it really as simple as just red cards and injuries, and that if Orlando City can keep its full complement of players on the field and get back some injured players, everything will go from not hot to hot again? Perhaps, but I think there is a style of play change that has also been causing some of the recent issues. I included rows on the charts above on the aggregation of completed crosses and switches (as in switches of the field) per game and medium and long passes completed per game, and from that chart you can see that the numbers are much lower in the last three games as compared to the beginning of this season and the final half of last season.

Those drops coincide with Rafael Santos playing only 59 minutes in the last three games, and with Alex Freeman not being able to get into the attack in the same way as he was in the season-opening games. There definitely is some overlap here with playing down a player and needing to keep defensive players back, but Santos’ offensive contributions (he is currently 20th in MLS in completed crosses + switches per 90 minutes), and even just the threat of him playing a long ball across the field to change the point of attack, have been missed by the Orlando City offense with him off the field. David Brekalo is an excellent defender, but his offensive contributions are more tied to his ability to win balls in the air, whereas Santos is among the league leaders in crosses and switches per 90 minutes, with Freeman one of his primary targets.

Brekalo playing left back certainly helped shore up a defense that had been leaking goals, and Santos was a major contributor to that with some poor defensive performances, but that tradeoff has removed a major threat to the Orlando City offense. Freeman’s reduction in offensive contributions has not helped, but I think the loss of Santos’ early crosses, long switches, and overlapping runs contributed more to the nearly 400-minute dry spell without a goal from open play. The Lions need him to find his form again, though he will not be able to do it against Atlanta, as he will be suspended.

Three games without a goal is unpleasant as a fan, but Orlando City battled in all three games and at least came away with a point. The defense is playing well, and despite many injuries, the Lions are still very much in the playoff hunt as the season approaches the one-third mark. There are legitimate reasons for the recent offensive swoon, and Araújo and Atuesta will likely be back shortly, and McGuire also may soon be able to start a game and offer a different offensive look. Ramiro Enrique heated up once spring turned to summer in 2024, and when all four of those players are back to full health, the team will once again have a deep roster full of players aggressively competing for minutes.

Óscar Pareja historically has used the first half of a season to find his preferred lineup for the stretch run of the season, and I believe this is another season when he will be playing the long game and seeing what he has at his disposal. The red cards and injuries provided short-term pain in terms of points dropped, but they will likely also provide long-term gain with the view into how the players play in different positions and combinations.

It is a long season, with two cup competitions still to start, in addition to 25 more regular-season games, and summer does not even start until June. I expect that a lot of the issues from the recent run of games will work themselves out with time. We just need to keep our cool and wait for the inevitable Orlando City late season hot streak.

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